LOPAZZ

You probably best know LOPAZZ for the quality, avant-garde club music he’s produced for labels like Get Physical, Cocoon Rec., Poker Flat and London’s legendary Output Recordings, but his career as a multimedia artist is far more colourful and diverse than you might’ve imagined. With his MixMastering Studios he actually is the man behind some top productions. Check www.mixmastering.de for more informations. His first serious involvement with music began in the early 90s; since 1996 he’s been a part of the HD800 team, founded by legendary Dman operating a techno club, two record labels (800achtspur & 800trak) and a recording studio. He runs the German multimedia label 800achtspur, which has released records by Mason Mesud Stevensen, Casio Casino and many others. LOPAZZ is also renowned as a film and television composer, having written and performed more than 50 TV- and documentary scores over the years. Since 1999, he has been providing original compositions and productions for UNESCO’s World Heritage TV documentaries and more recently he scored the Foodhunter & Marco Polo Reloaded series produced in Europe & Asia. With typical interest in musical process and commitment to authenticity, he travelled to China, Ethiopia, South-Africa and Mongolia, recording orchestras, singers and monks in order to enrich this soundtrack. Some of his finest work for film and television was collected in the 800achtspur compilation, 18 Themes for TV-Documentaries (2003) and his Albums on Get Physical "Ambient Film Themes Vol.1 & 2" ( 2009/2010 ). He’s always had a sense of fun, though, and his love of TV and music resulted in his cheeky 2001 remixes of the classic Miami Vice and Magnum themes with Redagain P! In 2003, LOPAZZ´ self-titled EP of off-kilter dance music was discovered by Andreas Baumecker and released on his Freundinnen Label, later signed by Trevor Jackson’s Output Recordings, followed by the singles ‘Blood’ , remixed by Tiefschwarz and his first bona fide club hit ‘I Need Ya’. ‘I Need Ya’ was licensed for a limited edition Japanese release by French fashion label Colette, and its success led to LOPAZZ remixing Germany’s biggest pop act Xavier Nadoo, while techno legend Sven Vaeth snapped up ‘I Need Ya’ for his Sound of the Fourth Season mix CD. His relationship with Berlin-based Get Physical began with his remix of Chelonis R. Jones’ ‘I Don’t Know’, followed by the label’s release of his own deep, twisted vocal track ‘Migracion’. Physical commissioned a subsequent remix 12”, featuring epic, forward-thinking versions from now firmly established Chilean superstars Luciano and Ricardo Vilallobos. Further releases for Compost Black Label, Output and Lasergun cemented LOPAZZ´ reputation as an artist of real originality and significance. He became an increasingly in-demand remixer: M.A.N.D.Y. ( Matthew Dear, Alexander Robotnick ) Isolée, The Rapture, Product 01, Kudu, Gus Gus, Kasper Bjorke and Richard Bartz number among his happy clients to date. In 2007 he released a new 12” for the label, this time entitled ‘Share My Rhythm’. In the same year LOPAZZ released his album Kook Kook, a perfect document of his witty and avant-garde electronic funk blueprint – playful, imaginative, intimate and impossible to pigeon-hole. In 2010, 2011 and 2012 LOPAZZ produced all tracks, releases and remixes for DJ T. like „the Pleasure Principle“ Album ( with remixes by Jamie Jones, Maceo Plex, A tale of us, Clockwork ) and the remix for Phreek „Passion“ and the Edit for Black Light Smoke „Lovework“. A further collaboration in 2011 and 2012 with M.A.N.D.Y. completed the production-phase that started in Iceland, February 2008 with releases on Watergate, Rennaissance and Get Physical Music. Since 2000 LOPAZZ has been performing live, most recently on an extensive World-tour, playing the hot spots and best clubs like D´Edge in Sao Paulo, Watergate / Weekend / Berghain / Tresor in Berlin, Soundwave in Vancouver, Berns in Stockholm, Bataclan in Paris, Fabric London, The Standard/ Le Bain in New York City, Asyulm in Honolulu / Hawai´i, Monarch in San Francisco, Cocoon In Frankfurt, Gare / Pitch in Oporto, Amnesia in Milano, Klubbers Day in Madrid, Rooftop Moscow , Treehouse Miami and many more. LOPAZZ became an increasingly in-demand mixing and mastering engineer for the best names in music business like Axel Boman, Booka Shade, John Talabot, Tuff City Kids with thousands of succesful releases. Restless as ever, LOPAZZ is currently dividing his time between the studio, where he’s working on new material with Gerd Janson ( Running Back ), Cavaan and Alex Flatner, studio-work for artists and labels and his home, where he enjoys a happy existence. As the man himself says, “I have no message to preach – I just represent my music, and life...” Text by Kiran Sande, Fact-Magazine, U.K.